Everything On The High Street Is Doomed

[chris25]

I was in the local town the other day, with a few minutes to kill, so I had a look around and it became quite apparent that virtually every premises in the immediate area was totally and utterly doomed.

There were 3 digital camera shops. Went in them to look at a camera to buy. It cost £700 on Amazon, in this shop it was £1000! What on earth can justify that cost? I don't care if they give me the best shopping experience in the world. An extra £300 is a hell of a lot of money, even for rich people, let alone people on my wages.

Then of course the bookies. Mainly occupied by old men. The younger generation seldom enter these places, if they are stupid enough to gamble then they will use fruit machines instead or the internet from my experience. Without young people then you are in trouble, as your customer base gradually dies off.

The same applies to pubs (as discussed on here recently). I would say 70% of the pubs in my area are destined to close. Not enough people in them, and most people 50+.

Independent electrical appliance shops. Again, only used by loyal old customers. Prices are 30%+ higher than larger chain retailers. Poor choice, rip-off servicing costs and less likely to take it back than a big retailer.

Even the clothes shops I wonder about. I now buy most of my clothes online, simply because shops never, ever have anything in stock. If something doesn't fit then you can immediately send it back, most online retailers even include a return bag.

Book shops are another dying breed. A huge amount of people now have Kindles and even oldies are using them en masse. I know someone who is 50+, said to me they would never, ever buy a Kindle, they got bought one last Christmas, and haven't put it down since.

I believe, with time, 60% of the high street shops and premises will become defunct. The decline accelerating as disposable income diminishes in the coming years, thanks to the UK's continuing economic decline.

[@contradevian]

Although this is yet another "oldie" rant I am in part agreement. The "High Street" will eventually diminish until the only trade is from people that don't have computers or smart apps.

On the subject of bookies I see a lot of "chavvy youth" hanging around mine, who presumably haven't got the computer or knowledge to use one of the online betting exchanges. Indeed some exchanges allow you to become your own bookmaker to some extent so why they are pouring their money into Ladbrokes is anyones guess.

In fact I'd say 80% of the people in town during the day are either "chavs" hanging around either CeX or Game, or pensioners going for a coffee and paying their CT at the Civic Centre.

Town centres shops/office might have to be pulled down to make new residential housing. In my town, former council buildings are being turned into studio/bedsits and a town centre tower block of flats is being renovated (to the usual chorus of NIMBY indignant protests because its social housing).

Centres might have to start offering cultural attractions, museums, entertainment and so on.

Edited November 1, 2012 by Secure Tenant

[chris25]

Centres might have to start offering cultural attractions, museums, entertainment and so on.

Yes but in the world of widescreen TV's with crystal clear definition, ultra-realistic computer games, Facebook, endless TV programmes and films at the touch of a button etc you are only going to be appealing to a limited audience.

Most people I know probably couldn't remember the last time they went to a museum. It's not that their stupid, just that you can watch about history on the History channel or read about it on the web.

[ccc]

The chavvy youth will just hang about there for somewhere to go and meet up. You can do all your betting very easily on any smartphone . And EVERY chavvy youth has one of those.

[Snugglybear]

The chavvy youth will just hang about there for somewhere to go and meet up. You can do all your betting very easily on any smartphone . And EVERY chavvy youth has one of those.

Don't you have to have a credit card or bank account with a debit card to gamble online? How may chavvy youths will have one of those?

[bomberbrown]

1351753550[/url]' post='909175896']

I was in the local town the other day, with a few minutes to kill, so I had a look around and it became quite apparent that virtually every premises in the immediate area was totally and utterly doomed.

There were 3 digital camera shops. Went in them to look at a camera to buy. It cost £700 on Amazon, in this shop it was £1000! What on earth can justify that cost? I don't care if they give me the best shopping experience in the world. An extra £300 is a hell of a lot of money, even for rich people, let alone people on my wages.

Then of course the bookies. Mainly occupied by old men. The younger generation seldom enter these places, if they are stupid enough to gamble then they will use fruit machines instead or the internet from my experience. Without young people then you are in trouble, as your customer base gradually dies off.

The same applies to pubs (as discussed on here recently). I would say 70% of the pubs in my area are destined to close. Not enough people in them, and most people 50+.

Independent electrical appliance shops. Again, only used by loyal old customers. Prices are 30%+ higher than larger chain retailers. Poor choice, rip-off servicing costs and less likely to take it back than a big retailer.

Even the clothes shops I wonder about. I now buy most of my clothes online, simply because shops never, ever have anything in stock. If something doesn't fit then you can immediately send it back, most online retailers even include a return bag.

Book shops are another dying breed. A huge amount of people now have Kindles and even oldies are using them en masse. I know someone who is 50+, said to me they would never, ever buy a Kindle, they got bought one last Christmas, and haven't put it down since.

I believe, with time, 60% of the high street shops and premises will become defunct. The decline accelerating as disposable income diminishes in the coming years, thanks to the UK's continuing economic decline.

That will be the landlords percentage.

[vzzzbx]

Not sure I agree that everything on the high street is doomed. Sure it's easier and cheaper to get a lot of things online - try getting bits for your desktop computer from the high street and you'll see what I mean.

However some products simply don't translate well into the online world. Take shoes for instance - they might look good but you really do need to try them on before buying. Even if they have your size in stock, they still might be uncomfortable when you're wearing them. You also still need a post office to be able to post back stuff you bought online that you don't want or isn't right.

Then there's the endless coffee shops and cafes. You've been able to make yourself a cup of coffee or a sandwich at home for years yet they show no sign of disappearing any time soon.

Plus there's the hassle of the useless, useless delivery companies used by the likes of Amazon etc. who don't seem to realise that Mon-Fri between 9am and 5pm isn't a good time to try delivering stuff to your house. Deliver it to work you say? Sure - I'm sure your employer would really like a washing machine delivered to their reception area. If Domino's pizza can deliver in the evenings why can't the likes of Parcel Force? And without a dammed surcharge, darn it!

[Gone baby gone]

However some products simply don't translate well into the online world. Take shoes for instance - they might look good but you really do need to try them on before buying. Even if they have your size in stock, they still might be uncomfortable when you're wearing them. You also still need a post office to be able to post back stuff you bought online that you don't want or isn't right.

High streets are polarising around food (hot and cold). Everything else is up for grabs. There will be a limited market for shoes and clothing... when the first dot com boom happened in the late 90s, I was a naysayer who was convinced that clothing would not be successfully retailed online. Of course, silly me, I forgot that catalogue shopping had been popular for decades!

I order about 50% of my clothing online - I probably have to return around 1 item in 4 to change sizes, but the huge increase in choice, plus the ability to see customer reviews (are those waterproof boots really waterproof after 3 months of wear?) is often worth more than the convenience of trying things on in a shop.

Shoe shops will probably end up in big shopping malls and retail parks. High streets will end up with a bank, a post office, 3 or 4 cafes, 3 or 4 hot food vendors, 3 or 4 hairdressers and - in a well to do area - a butcher / fishmonger. Interspersed will be a few "boutique" style small shops, with a high turnover and the successful ones finding >50% of their business online.

[MongerOfDoom]

There were 3 digital camera shops. Went in them to look at a camera to buy. It cost £700 on Amazon, in this shop it was £1000! What on earth can justify that cost? I don't care if they give me the best shopping experience in the world. An extra £300 is a hell of a lot of money, even for rich people, let alone people on my wages.

That's probably not as bad as it could be, seeing as a big chunk of it is the difference between the tax rates here and in Luxemburg.

We are fast approaching the point where the government figure out that multi-nationals cannot be made to collect tax for them. Or rather that the hard part is to then convince them to hand it over here rather than in some foreign jurisdiction that will accept a lot less.

I suppose I'd be possible to increase income tax. Except 40+ percent already seems high, and it is not paid by everyone who pays VAT and helps generate retailer's profits. I wonder if there might be some asset class that could be easily taxed ....

[easy2012]

Not sure I agree that everything on the high street is doomed. Sure it's easier and cheaper to get a lot of things online - try getting bits for your desktop computer from the high street and you'll see what I mean.

Plus there's the hassle of the useless, useless delivery companies used by the likes of Amazon etc. who don't seem to realise that Mon-Fri between 9am and 5pm isn't a good time to try delivering stuff to your house. Deliver it to work you say? Sure - I'm sure your employer would really like a washing machine delivered to their reception area. If Domino's pizza can deliver in the evenings why can't the likes of Parcel Force? And without a dammed surcharge, darn it!

And AMZN can't beat the poundland, poundworld, 99p shop, B&M Bargain.

Then we have the supermarkets, costa, Apple Store . The nature of the highstreet is certainly changing beyond recognition, but it will be there, albeit in reduced form.

Edited November 1, 2012 by easy2012

[campervanman]

I was in the local town the other day, with a few minutes to kill, so I had a look around and it became quite apparent that virtually every premises in the immediate area was totally and utterly doomed.

There were 3 digital camera shops. Went in them to look at a camera to buy. It cost £700 on Amazon, in this shop it was £1000! What on earth can justify that cost? I don't care if they give me the best shopping experience in the world. An extra £300 is a hell of a lot of money, even for rich people, let alone people on my wages.

Then of course the bookies. Mainly occupied by old men. The younger generation seldom enter these places, if they are stupid enough to gamble then they will use fruit machines instead or the internet from my experience. Without young people then you are in trouble, as your customer base gradually dies off.

The same applies to pubs (as discussed on here recently). I would say 70% of the pubs in my area are destined to close. Not enough people in them, and most people 50+.

Independent electrical appliance shops. Again, only used by loyal old customers. Prices are 30%+ higher than larger chain retailers. Poor choice, rip-off servicing costs and less likely to take it back than a big retailer.

Even the clothes shops I wonder about. I now buy most of my clothes online, simply because shops never, ever have anything in stock. If something doesn't fit then you can immediately send it back, most online retailers even include a return bag.

Book shops are another dying breed. A huge amount of people now have Kindles and even oldies are using them en masse. I know someone who is 50+, said to me they would never, ever buy a Kindle, they got bought one last Christmas, and haven't put it down since.

I believe, with time, 60% of the high street shops and premises will become defunct. The decline accelerating as disposable income diminishes in the coming years, thanks to the UK's continuing economic decline.

Shops are to Analogue as Internet shopping is to Digital.

[campervanman]

Don't you have to have a credit card or bank account with a debit card to gamble online? How may chavvy youths will have one of those?

Quite a few, just not their own.

[Guest eight]

Plus there's the hassle of the useless, useless delivery companies used by the likes of Amazon etc. who don't seem to realise that Mon-Fri between 9am and 5pm isn't a good time to try delivering stuff to your house. Deliver it to work you say? Sure - I'm sure your employer would really like a washing machine delivered to their reception area. If Domino's pizza can deliver in the evenings why can't the likes of Parcel Force? And without a dammed surcharge, darn it!

I've thought the same about garages. They mostly only open when I need the car. An overnight garage could go down well I think.

[scrappycocco]

add in the council's war against the car and expensive public transport, the only people that will use shops are the people that live above them....

[Tankus]

The tesco metro in my village is making a killing .........busy constantly for 14 hours a day with minimal competition.... regardless of the ramped up prices

[jaspers]

Free parking and the return of the 'market town' markets will save certain high streets. Fresh food cheaper than supermarkets, food stalls, and market traders. Open in the evening. Just an idea, Mary Portas.

[campervanman]

add in the council's war against the car and expensive public transport, the only people that will use shops are the people that live above them....

Shops could subsidise public transport and car parks to encourage more people though. At the end of the day most people make a choice based upon cost and quality of the experience . Once it becomes cost prohibitive and too much hassle to go shopping then people will stop doing it and once out of the habit it's difficult to reverse things. Shops need to think imaginatively to get people to continue to visit High Streets, it won't just happen if they have a sale every other week.

Edited November 1, 2012 by campervanman

[@contradevian]

Shoe shops will probably end up in big shopping malls and retail parks. High streets will end up with a bank, a post office, 3 or 4 cafes, 3 or 4 hot food vendors, 3 or 4 hairdressers and - in a well to do area - a butcher / fishmonger. Interspersed will be a few "boutique" style small shops, with a high turnover and the successful ones finding >50% of their business online.

There are also:

1. Opticians (though specs can be ordered online if you have the eye test document)

2. More beauty, and tanning parlours which along with hairdressing which just can't be done online.

3. Employment/temp agencies. We have several big shop fronted agencies in town but don't know how they survive as there are no jobs! They only seem to fish for CV's from bored passing shoppers.

4. Flashy personal injury/PPI/miselling outfits.

[Battenberg]

Thanks. Great ticker: DRTY.L - wonder if Victoria's Secrets will pounce?

They should only serve slim people if Reuters are to be believed:

ps although terrible for staff, let's face it, Comet is pretty crap. Surely we should welcome their failure and look forward to someone occupying their turf who knows their onions.

There are also:

1. Opticians (though specs can be ordered online if you have the eye test document)

2. More beauty, and tanning parlours which along with hairdressing which just can't be done online.

3. Employment/temp agencies. We have several big shop fronted agencies in town but don't know how they survive as there are no jobs! They only seem to fish for CV's from bored passing shoppers.

4. Flashy personal injury/PPI/miselling outfits.

DIY to some extent too. The postage cost for 2.5 ltrs of Dulux (magnolia of course) would be hefty.

Edited November 1, 2012 by Battenburg

[Bloo Loo]

Free parking and the return of the 'market town' markets will save certain high streets. Fresh food cheaper than supermarkets, food stalls, and market traders. Open in the evening. Just an idea, Mary Portas.

we have three excellent farm shops within a mile or two.

Some of these types of places trade on the "chicken in the car park" novelty and strange named beers and charge way too much....avoid these sham shops...go to genuine ones where the prices are very competitive and carry the produce they produce.

There is a specialist "foody" shop here in Colchester....prices are very high indeed, and the car park is usually full of large 4x4s...the quality is no better than the good farm shops, but, it does have a very nice shopping bag and being "seen" in there is great for the school run snobs.I mean, IF you can afford to even buy there, you really are worth something more than the riff raff in Waitrose.

Edited November 1, 2012 by Bloo Loo

[Gone baby gone]

1. Opticians (though specs can be ordered online if you have the eye test document)

Opticians do well in Scotland were eye tests are free for all. Not sure they'll survive so well in England.

2. More beauty, and tanning parlours which along with hairdressing which just can't be done online.

Yep, loads of these already - I must mentally blank them!

3. Employment/temp agencies. We have several big shop fronted agencies in town but don't know how they survive as there are no jobs! They only seem to fish for CV's from bored passing shoppers.

4. Flashy personal injury/PPI/miselling outfits.

I don't think either of these will be around on most high streets. They will have some chuggers (probably an out of work graduate) standing around next to the supermarket or the bus stop trying to get people signed up, but the real work will be in some godforsaken industrial estate in the middle of nowhere. Probably a building that Comet used to use actually!

[Dorkins]

That's probably not as bad as it could be, seeing as a big chunk of it is the difference between the tax rates here and in Luxemburg.

Don't forget rates. I already pay rent to my landlord and rent to the shop's landlord, why should I pay a third rent to the council?

[SarahBell]

Free parking and the return of the 'market town' markets will save certain high streets. Fresh food cheaper than supermarkets, food stalls, and market traders. Open in the evening. Just an idea, Mary Portas.

Open in the evening is the kicker for the one man band who doesn't make enough to employ anyone.

[thecrashingisles]

Free parking and the return of the 'market town' markets will save certain high streets. Fresh food cheaper than supermarkets, food stalls, and market traders. Open in the evening. Just an idea, Mary Portas.

I think that was in her report - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8953527/Mary-Portas-we-need-to-create-new-magnets-on-our-high-streets.html

[Democorruptcy]

Retailers don't realise where what used to be their money is going. Servicing mortgage debt. They believe the bank propaganda that the more people have to spend on a house then the more money they will spend on the high street.

Retailers should start a campaign to ban joint income mortgages. House prices fall, clear out the bad debts and people return to having more disposable income again instead of servicing too much debt. Either that or start taking bricks in payment for goods.